Momma Look Sharp
by Intercedo Circu
Summary: Bill Weasley is dying. Can Mrs. Weasley find him before its too late? (song fic, again. implied HrR GH)


A/N: This is what comes of trying to mix 1776 and Harry Potter.

It actually worked quite well, if I do say so myself.

It's… I want to say it's sad, but I dunno what you'll think.

WARNING: This is angst. People DIE. Actually, only Bill does, but shush.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Weasleys  (I wish I did though) Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or Death Eaters, or Voldemort… anything to do with Harry Potter. And I don't own the song. I don't know who does, because I don't know who has the rights to 1776.

Thank you to my betas Alethia and Sarah. Elles sommes très sympa et ect. Ect. Je ne sais pas comme dit "cool" en français.

Mainly that says that they are really, really cool!  

Momma Look Sharp

The evening was creeping over the battlegrounds the Order had chosen. Bill Weasley looked around at the proud people there. They were all ready to fight and to die. To die for Harry.

Harry stood there, his face to the sun, his thoughts barely making it onto his face. Bill watched as his younger brother, Ron, and Hermione Granger walked over to Harry.

Hermione put her head on Harry's shoulder and Ron laid a hand on his other. They were speaking quietly, but not for stealth. 

Ginny, Bill's only sister slipped among the ranks of the Order and took Bill's hand. "Bill?"

"Yes, Ginny?"

"We've never been very—close, what with the age difference and all, but Bill… I just wanted to tell you that I've always liked having you as my older brother."

Bill ruffled her hair and looked down at her. "You've always been my favorite little sister."

Ginny grinned at him, but the smile didn't reach her frightened brown eyes. "Bill, I love you."

"I love you too, Gin." Bill said, pulling her into a bear hug. 

When they pulled apart, Ginny walked over to Ron, Hermione and Harry.

Bill watched her, a Weasley through and through. Blinkking fiercely, she said something softly to Hermione, and they hugged, then Ginny turned to Ron. There was a muttered exchange and Ron turned red. Ginny smiled and wrapped him in her arms. 

And then she turned to Harry. Bill watched as Ginny seemed to steel herself to do something. When Harry turned to her Ginny smiled. 

They exchanged words. Harry suddenly looked elated and bent down to bestow a kiss. 

Bill turned away and watched Ron and Hermione. He could stand them kissing, but he couldn't stand watching his youngest sister kissing someone. He decided that it was because Ginny was his _only_ sister that he was especially protective. After all, he'd never felt that way about any of his five other brothers.

He glanced around, searching out the members of his red headed family.

Fred and George were standing together, taking comfort in each other. Angelina Johnson, Fred's girlfriend, stood a little apart from them, though her hands entwined in Fred's. Charlie stood to the side, looking out at the ranks. His eyes were distant, thinking of their last line of defense, the dragons. Percy was standing by the red maple tree with his girlfriend Penelope Clearwater. Bill's eyes wandered back to the youngest Weasleys. Ron and Ginny stood next to Harry and Hermione. Harry's hands were entwined in Ginny's, Hermione's in Ron's. Together they all watched the sunset.

_Momma, hey momma, come lookin' for me_

_I'm here in the meadow by the red maple tree_

_Momma, hey momma, look sharp, here I be_

_Hey, hey, momma look sharp_

The leaves of the red maple seemed to be weeping for the dead. They fell on the body of a young man with flaming red hair. 

His blue eyes were glazed and his breathing short as he watched the first rays of dawn coming into the sky. Tears seeped out of the corners of his eyes as the light hit them, but he didn't have the strength to close them, or to turn away. 

His body was failing slowly. 

Several people were out, looking through the dead. He could hear them.  Wanted to call out, to get his mother near him, but he couldn't. Instead the tears ran down his cheeks in rivers. __

_Them__ soldiers, they fired. Oh ma, did we run_

_But then we turned round and the battle begun_

_Then I went under, oh ma, am I done?_

_Hey, hey, momma look sharp_

The huge number of Death Eaters that appeared was a surprise to everyone. It was a ten to one ratio at least, and more kept appearing. 

The air was full of curses and spells. The Order, panicked by the fire and the sheer numbers, began to break their ranks in confusion.

Bill was caught among the frightened rush backwards. There was a blood-curdling shriek from the front and there was a distant yell, "GET BACK HERE!"

The race to get away changed into a flow towards the mass of Death Eaters. Spells began shooting back.

Bill roared and charged forward, his spells hitting and effectively stopping the oncoming Death Eaters. Just over the heads of the mass of heads Harry rose, power radiating from him. Bill could feel it. 

Hermione, Ron and Ginny all looked at Harry and then they all looked at each other before shouting three words.

Bill looked at Harry too and shouted the words too as loud as he could, sending with them, his feelings. "I love you!"

Slowly the other's got the gist and began shouting.

Turning back to the battle Bill engaged in a fight with another Death Eater. Ducking low as a red spell jetisened from his opponents wand he felt a laugh bubling in his throat. But a spell hit him square in the chest, Bill knew that for him, making the laughter die as his breath felt like running out. He doubled over, his breathing coming in short gasps. The Death Eater, seeing Bill down, turned away.

Bill, on the ground, felt the pounding of feet around him and it made him feel claustrophobic. Breathing heavily he began to crawl away from the battle. Under the red maple, he collapsed. 

Bill watched with glazed eyes as the battle unfolded. Soon, he found he couldn't sit up anymore. He lay down and watched as the final dragons flew over his head.

And then there was a final shout. A ripple seemed to move out from a central point of the shout and Bill rolled over, away from it. There was a scream and yelling voices. 

"HARRY! HARRY!" came Ginny's voice, but all her words swirled around Bill's head. Slowly he let the darkness take his vision. __

_My eyes are wide open, my face to the sky_

_Is that you I'm hearin' in the tall grass nearby?_

_Momma come_ find me before I do die__

Hey, hey, momma look sharp 

Something of the light filtered through the darkness that Bill could see. He knew it was dawn, almost. The light was hurting him, making him cry, but he couldn't see. 

He was so weak, but he wanted to see the sky once more. Gathering all his strength he made the light condense into images. 

The sky was filled with a rosy pink light. It was calm. For the first time since Voldemort's return, Bill felt at peace. 

There was a rustling and the world went dark again. "Mum?" he managed to whisper.

"Bill!" It was his mother. She dashed into the shade of the maple tree and saw her oldest son, laid out carefully, his breath coming in sharp gasps.

Running over to him she knelt beside him and gently took his head. "Bill?"

"Mum." Bill whispered.

"Come on, Bill, we can pull you through this. We've won, Bill. Harry killed him." mother said gently. "And Harry's fine, and so is everyone else. George is a bit hurt, but he'll pull through."

Bill pulled in another breath, trying to say something, but he was too weak.

"Bill? Come on, Bill, you can pull through too. Billy, come on, just close your eyes and we'll get you out of here."

But he couldn't. He could barely find the strength to draw his next breath. "I love you…" he managed before he drew his last breath and slowly let it go.

_I'll close your eyes, my Billy_

_Them eyes that cannot see_

And I'll bury you, my Billy 

_Beneath the maple tree_

Mrs. Weasley felt her tears running down her face, but it was a distant thing. Bill looked peaceful, his eyes open still. 

Carefully, Mrs. Weasley closed his blue eyes. Tears continued to fall down her face as she gently ran a hand over his forehead, sweeping back the red hair that she had always felt had been too long, away from his face. 

"Oh, Bill." She whispered. Her tears left dried trails of salt on her cheeks as the sun rose. She made as if to speak, but she couldn't find the words. "I promised I'd bury you where you were found… if you were.... I promised you so long ago. Do you remember, Billy?"

There was no answer. There never would be an answer.

_And never again will you whisper to me_

_Hey, hey, momma look sharp_

Bill watched his body being lowered into the ground. He watched his family gather around and bury him slowly. He watched as Fleur Delacour wept, and as Harry Potter looked guilty. He watched as his mother mourned.

He wanted to reach out and touch her. Comfort her. 

But he couldn't. She wasn't looking hard enough to find him.

**A/N: Me likes reviews.**


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